Don't You Ever Forget About Me
by VoiceOfTheFell
Summary: For years, Jack has been alone. But when he stumbles across the land of Corona to bring the gift of snow, he discovers a girl locked away in a tower, and like a moth to light, he is drawn to the only person to ever see him. (starts about six months before the Tangled canon, and eventually leads into it. Updates every Sunday! Give it it a read)
1. Chapter 1 - Prologue

**Don't You Ever Forget About Me**

_Chapter 1_

Prologue

"Jack, read me a story!"

Jack chuckled at the four year old as she skipped over to the little pink bookshelf across from her bed. It was fifteen minutes after nine; nearly an hour past Sophie's bedtime, but the winter spirit had promised the blonde-headed little munchkin that he would come to see her before she went to sleep.

Most would call it unusual for Jack to be back in Burgess, Michigan in the middle of June, being the spirit of winter and all, but he didn't see any harm in visiting the kids while they were on summer vacation. He even rushed through his work in the places in the world that were actually expecting the gift of snow, just to hang out with Jamie and Sophie before they fell asleep. And either way, Burgess was the closest thing Jack had to a home (and Jamie and Sophie the closest thing to a family), so he usually ended up back there by the end of day anyway. He didn't see any harm in showing up a bit early.

Jack watched as Sophie pulled out nearly every book that lined the pink-painted shelves, barely looking over the covers before she lost interest and tossed the paper adventures behind her. Jack was sure that her mother wasn't going to be too happy about the mess she'd have to clean up in the morning.

"Oooh," the four year-old cooed, holding up what looked to be a picture book. She sprung up to her feet and skipped over to Jack, waving the fairy tale above her head, "read me this one," she grinned up at him, giggling.

Sophie sat the little book on Jack's lap, and climbed up next to him on the bed, box springs squeaking as she did so. Jack looked the cover over, and his stomach began to flutter when he realized what she had picked out.

The illustration was all too familiar; a tall stone tower shot up towards the sky, a waterfall of gold cascading from the highest window, and a too-handsome prince stood at structure's base, fingers tangled in blonde silk.

Without even reading the title, he knew whose story was bound between the covers.

Rapunzel.

It had been a long, long time since that name had crossed his mind.

Jack stayed silent for a moment, almost overwhelmed by the wave of emotions that washed over him. It had been so long. He hadn't thought about her in years. It was like he had forgotten about the first light to fill his darkness.

And it hurt.

"Jack?" Sophie tugged on the sleeve of his blue hoodie, ice crystals tickling her face as they fell from the weathered cotton, "are you gonna read it?"

Jack shuddered as he was suddenly pulled back to the real world. He chuckled to himself, trying to regain his composure, and turned to face the little girl.

Who was he to deny a child a fairy tale? Maybe it was time to share the story he kept to himself for hundreds of years.

Maybe it'd make the hurt go away.

"Hey...can you keep a secret?" Jack whispered to her. Sophie's eyes lit up and she nodded wildly at the idea of being the keeper of a hushed tale. He chuckled at the look on her face and front tooth-less grin, "okay. But you gotta cross your heart."

Sophie did as she was instructed, hastily drawing an X shape over the center of her chest, "what is it, Jack?" she asked, struggling to hold in her excitement. She practically hopped in place on the bed.

"Well..." he paused, not sure how the little girl would react to what he was about to tell her, "Jamie wasn't the first person to see me."

Sophie's mouth fell open in shock, and Jack laughed. Even if it was hard sometimes, there was a reason he loved his job, "really?" she breathed.

Nodding, Jack replied, "Yes, really. You wanna know who the first person to see me was?" he held up the book, and pointed to the girl who stood at the window of the stone tower, "Rapunzel was."

Jack wouldn't have thought it possible, but Sophie's eyes grew even wider, "Rapunzel was real? And you knew her?"

"Of course she was real!" Jack exclaimed, making gestures with his free hand as he spoke, "where do you think they got the idea for the story from?" he paused, and sighed, suddenly feeling solemn as the memories once again crept back into his head. He shook the feeling off, remembering that he was talking to a little girl, and needed to keep things light, "Rapunzel was really special."

"Was she pretty?" Sophie questioned eagerly.

"Pretty?" Jack scoffed, smirking, "Rapunzel was more than pretty. She was beautiful," his smirk softened into a smile, as an image of her slowing found its way through the fog to the forefront of his mind. Had it not have been for the ice that pumped through his veins, his cheeks would have flushed at the thought of the softest, sweetest girl he had ever known in his life.

Sophie tugged on his sleeve again, "Jack, tell me about Rapunzel."

No one would have ever expected the spirit of winter to smile so warmly down at the child by his side. He patted the top of her head, "Okay. I'll tell you Rapunzel's story. Her _real _story. Not the made up one that you read in the books about her," he tossed the picture book down to the floor with the other unappealing stories.

Jack couldn't believe what he was about to do. He was about to tell someone, for the first time, about the girl he'd found in the tower, all those years ago. Even if some parts of the story hurt to remember, he was going to let it out.

And somehow, it felt good.

It was time.

**((AN: Hey everyone! This is my first story to be posted here on fan fiction. Sophie is a bit older in this, but it really won't affect the story too much as she won't be appearing again until the last chapter. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoyed this little prologue, and I promise that the next installment will be longer.**

**All reviews, faves, and follows are greatly appreciated~3 tell me anything you think I should improve on or got wrong!**

**~Brandy))**


	2. Chapter 2 - Strange Boy

**Don't You Ever Forget About Me**

_Chapter 2_

Strange Boy

It was mid-January when Jack stumbled across the land of Corona. Before then, he didn't even know that such a place existed. He'd traveled around the world what felt like a million times over and yet he'd somehow missed the kingdom of the sun every time.

But this time, the wind had something different in mind.

Jack had never seen this place before, and it was obvious to him that Corona had never seen snow before. The winter spirit chuckled to himself as he soared over the hills and valleys towards the sun kingdom. Oh, they had no idea what was coming for them.

Feeling no remorse for whatever trouble he was about to cause the residents of this strange land, Jack unleashed a powerful blizzard. He hollered along with the wind as its speed picked up, the snow and ice thrashing aggressively around its creator. The storm that he had whipped up was definitely a good one, and he was quite proud of himself.

"Hope you like the cold!" Jack called down to the kingdom's residents, who stood dumb-founded in the middle of the frozen mess he'd created. Some slipped and slided on the ice that now covered their usually clean walkways, while most of the children excitedly dived into snowball fights and snow angels. The people of Corona couldn't hear Jack's mischievous laughter, but the looks of utter confusion painted on their faces were good enough for him.

"Ah..." Jack's laughter started to calm back down to quiet chuckling as the main city of Corona faded into the cloudy distance. He sailed on the wind's breath, lying on his back, arms tucked behind his head, staff in hand. He grinned up at the clouds above his head, "Now _that_ was fun."

As Jack sailed along, the snow that trailed behind him gradually faded from violent frozen assaults into peaceful flurries. Curious as to where he had sailed off to, Jack flipped around so that he could see what was below him. The wind had led him into a huge forest, with some of the tallest trees and biggest hills he'd ever seen before in his existence. But Jack's attention was quickly stolen away from the forest scenery by the structure he could just barely see out in the distance.

"What in the world...?" he narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better look. It kind of looked like a tower. A huge tower, at that.

"Wind," Jack commanded, his voice unusually stern, "take me over to…_that_," he pointed to the strange structure, which was rapidly drawing closer.

The wind did as it was instructed, picking up beneath the boy and carrying him faster through the cloudy afternoon sky. As he flew, he slowly descended from the sky, his bare feet hitting the grassy ground of a small valley.

"Wow..." Jack breathed. Quite possibly the tallest tower he had ever seen before in his life stood just a few yards away from him, climbing towards the sky. The snow he had brought with him fluttered around the structure, making it appear to be like something from one of the many fairy tales he'd heard during his travels.

Jack crossed his arms, staring up at the tower, eyebrows knitted together in befuddlement. What was a huge tower like that doing out in the middle of what seemed to be nowhere? It didn't make any sense to him whatsoever.

"Oh my gosh!"

The voice took Jack by surprise. He whipped his head back and forth, trying to figure out where the vocalization had come from. He didn't see anyone, and he was just about to shrug it off when he heard it again.

"I can't believe it!" Jack suddenly realized that the voice was coming from above, not behind, and looked up toward the top of the tower. His eyes widened and his mouth fell slightly open; there was a girl standing at the window.

"It's snowing!" she cheered excitedly. Jumping up and down, "it's really snowing!"

Jack couldn't help but smile at the girl's reaction to his handiwork, "you're welcome," he stated simply, knowing full well that she couldn't hear him.

The girl lingered at the window for a few minutes, watching in marvel as the snow slowly danced passed her window and floated to the ground, where it was beginning to stick. Jack couldn't help but smile at the look of absolute wonder on her face.

But just as quickly as she had appeared, she was gone, retreating back into the tower from which she had come, closing the window behind her.

Jack stared up at the window for a long while after her departure, lost in thought.

So not only was there a huge tower out in the middle of what seemed to be nowhere, but _somebody lived in it_. Jack twirled his staff as he thought. The situation struck him as being incredibly strange, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Or at the very least, he wanted to try.

The wind lifted Jack up into the air, and he soared towards the window, his feet touching the wooden ledge within seconds. There was just enough room for him to crouch down and look in through the window, seemingly unnoticeable.

His eyes widened at what he saw, and his mouth fell open in astonishment.

Hair. The girl had _a lot_ of hair. Liquid gold fell from her head and pooled onto the floor, spilling around her feet and into living area, finally stopping at the foot of a mirror on the other end of the room. Jack couldn't believe his eyes. He would have never thought that it was humanly possible for someone to have that much hair. The sight was simply incredible.

He watched the girl as she scurried around the small kitchen of the tower, weaving around the counters, humming as she mixed whatever was in the bowl she carried in her arm. Her movements were light and elegant, like a feather dancing in the wind.

Jack leaned in a little closer to get a better look, and before he knew what was happening, he lost his balance and crashed to the floor of the secret room with a loud yelp, landing flat on his face. The window hadn't been closed properly, and his just barely leaning against it was enough for it to fly open, dumping him on the floor below. He groaned and got up onto his hands and knees.

A loud shriek hit Jack's ears, and he looked up to see the girl staring at him fearfully, holding up a cookie sheet as if to shield herself.

_The window opening up like that must have startled her_, Jack thought to himself as he got back up onto his feet, not even considering that he might have been seen. He dusted himself off and looked back over at her, shocked when her moss green eyes met with his December blues.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, neither one of them saying anything. Jack raised an eyebrow and turned to look behind him, wondering if there was something outside the window that had scared her.

"Who..." the girl stuttered, her tone fearful, "who are you?"

Jack whipped his head back around, shocked. Was she talking to him? No. She couldn't be. He knew for a fact that no one could see him, so what would make this weird girl up in a tower any different?

The girl cleared her voice and her posture changed just slightly as she puffed up a bit, "I said," her tone was still shaky, but firmer, "_who are you_?"

Jack's stomach started to flip, and his breath caught in his throat. No way. There was just no way.

"Who are _you_?" she repeated a third time, voice no longer trembling.

"You...you can _see me_?" Jack stuttered, flabbergasted, "_you can really see me_?"

The girl looked at him strangely, but nodded. The butterflies in Jack's stomach intensified. He couldn't believe what was happening.

"I can't believe this," Jack laughed excitedly, running a hand through his snow white hair, "you can see me. You can actually see me," his eyes met with hers again, and she flinched, her back against the wall and cookie sheet shielding her.

Jack cocked his head to side and slowly walked towards her, as if he were approaching a baby deer. She could see and hear him, but there was one very important thing he had to know.

Would she just phase through him like everyone else had for all these years?

Jack cautiously reached his hand out towards her as he approached, hoping, _praying_ that he could touch her. That he could feel her skin against his, instead of being walked through like a forgotten ghost.

But before Jack could reach for the trembling girl, she let out a cry, and something hit the winter spirit in the head, knocking him out cold.

**((AN: yeah… I meant for this to be a lot longer than it ended up being ._. but I wanted to get it out today, so here it is. Originally I was going to update with short chapters on Mondays and Thursdays, but now I think I'll just update on Thursdays with longer chapters.**

**Anyway, I hope that this lived up to expectations! I feel really lucky to already have so many people as excited about this as I am, and we're only on chapter 2. Wow!**

**I listened to Kerli while editing this, which is where the chapter title came from. I'll be doing this with other chapters as well ;P**

**Favorites, follows, and reviews are greatly appreciated! **

**Brandy~))**


	3. Chapter 3 - Ordinary Day

**Don't You Ever Forget About Me**

_Chapter 3_

Ordinary Day

Jack groaned as his eyelids slowly lifted open, his head throbbing. He felt like he had been hit with a ton of bricks, not a just cookie sheet (man, did that girl have an arm). Feeling sluggish, he crept up onto his knees, his hand reaching for the tender spot on his head.

"Good, you're awake."

At the sound of the voice, Jack looked up to see the girl who owned a mile of blonde hair staring down at him, green eyes narrowed and lips curled into a smug smirk.

"Yeah, yeah," Jack groaned, still rubbing at the spot on his head where she had hit him, "I'm awake. Now..." he searched the floor for his staff with his free hand, and his eyes widened. It was gone. Holy shit, _it was gone_. Jack frantically jumped to his feet, forgetting about the minor concussion he'd probably suffered, and began to search for the precious branch of wood with his eyes. It couldn't have gotten far, and he was determined to find it.

"Looking for _this_?" the girl said haughtily, pulling his staff out from behind her back and pointing it at him.

Jack breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of his one material possession, "thank goodness," he sighed, reaching for his metaphorical comfort blanket, only to have it pulled it away from him before he could grab it.

"Ah, ah, ah," the girl chided. She placed the end of the staff back down on the floor and went to lean against it, but stumbled over her own hair, nearly falling over. Somehow she managed to catch herself and regain her balance before hitting the floor. Jack suppressed a laugh. Was she being serious?

"Uh-if..." she cleared her voice and tried her hardest to puff back up, hardening her tone, "if you want your stick-"

"Staff. It's a staff," he corrected her, tone flat.

"Staff. _Whatever_," the girl rolled her eyes, trying to maintain her faked tough-guy persona, "if you want your staff back, you have to answer a few questions."

Yeah, she was being serious. Well, _trying_. It was kind of cute how such a softie of a girl was trying act like a force to be reckoned with (and totally failing at it). Even though Jack knew that he could easily get his staff back without being interrogated, he decided to play along with the questioning.

He was just happy to have someone to talk to besides himself.

"Alright, Blondie," she wrinkled her nose at the term. Jack chuckled softly and leaned himself up against the counter behind him, "what do you want to know?"

With just the slightest bit of hesitation, the girl looked him right in the eyes, "who are you?" she questioned, tone intense.

"Jack Frost," he answered simply with an easy shrug. He smirked at her, "and who are you?"

"That's none of your business," she retorted, crossing her arms.

"Fine," Jack's shoulders fell. He was slightly disappointed that the girl refused to properly introduce herself, but he wasn't going to give up that easily, "anymore questions, Blondie?" he smiled lop-sidedly, "Just so you know, I'm not gonna stop calling you that until you tell me your name."

The girl didn't look too amused. It was pretty obvious that she didn't like the nickname. She uncrossed her arms and pointed the staff at his face. He didn't even flinch, "how did you find me, _Jack Frost_?" she asked, twisting his name with her tongue.

Jack's stomach did that weird flipping thing again. That was the first time he'd heard someone say his name since the night that he had come up out of the ice, and it rang sweetly in his ears.

"Well?" she lightly jabbed him in the center of the chest with his staff.

"I flew here," Jack replied simply, snapping out of his stupor.

The girl's eyes noticeably widened and she pulled the staff back from his chest, "you… _flew_?" she was astonished, "you mean that you can fly?"

"Well, technically the wind did it. I can fly because of the wind."

"You can fly?" she repeated. It was obvious to Jack that she was trying to hide the wonder in her voice, but it still shone through her mock tough demeanor, "but how?"

"Well…" Jack pinched his chin with his thumb and index finger, trying to figure out how exactly to explain it to her, "I guess you could say that I'm kind of the spirit of winter. I can control the wind, and that's how I can fly," he paused, "well, I can _sort of_ control the wind. Like it listens to me and takes me where I want, but it still has a mind of its own."

Her guard fell just slightly, and her eyes lit up, the emerald in them sparkling, "the winter spirit?" it was as if she was connecting puzzle pieces together, "so… you're the one who brought the snow!" she exclaimed, hopping with excitement.

"Yeah, that was me!" Jack grinned. It felt amazing to finally get some recognition for the thankless gift he'd been giving for years.

Smiling bashfully, the girl held Jack's staff out to him. She tucked a strand of gold behind her ear with her other hand, "here. You can have this back."

Jack nodded at her and took his staff back, twirling it in his hand. He instantly felt more at ease, "thanks."

"My name is Rapunzel, by the way" the girl finally introduced herself, staring at her feet.

"Rapunzel," Jack repeated, liking the way the syllables rolled off his tongue. He held his free hand out to her, "and you already know this, but my name is Jack. Jack Frost."

Rather than follow up the gesture, Rapunzel just stared at his hand, a mystified look on her face. Jack raised an eyebrow at her, "uh...it's called a handshake," he clarified, extending his hand out a little further, expecting her to take it.

Rapunzel wrinkled her nose and narrowed her eyes at his hand, still not understanding what he meant. Jack felt a bit awkward just standing there with his hand out like that. Had the humans changed their standard method of greeting each other without him even noticing?

"Here," Jack chuckled, reaching for her hand, "you put your hand around mine," he had her do so as he spoke, "and we shake," her hand felt incredibly warm between his icy fingers. He'd gone years without any sort of touch from anyone besides the wind, and the warmth that spread up his arm and into him took the edge off of a craving he'd had for a long time.

"Oh..._oh_!" it was like a light-bulb went off above the blonde's head. She laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck with her free hand, "sorry...about that. I've never shook hands with someone before."

Smirking, Jack replied, "You don't get out much, do you?"

"You have no idea..." Rapunzel giggled, still sounding embarrassed.

Reluctantly, Jack released her hand from his, and he suddenly felt cold again. But that wasn't anything new. He shifted his weight off of the counter he'd been leaning against and started towards the living area, looking over the walls and weathered furniture, noticing that nearly every square inch of everything had been painted over with drawings of everything from colorful flowers to renditions of Rapunzel herself. He had a feeling that the blonde girl had created all of them herself, and he couldn't help but wonder where she had found the time to do so.

"You know, I still have some more questions for you," said Rapunzel as she padded behind the winter spirit, following him.

Jack glanced at her over his shoulder, half-smile gracing his pale face, "sure. I have some questions for you, too."

"Well, first off... How did you find my tower?" she asked, genuinely confused, "My mother says that nobody besides her knows where it is."

Jack wasn't quite sure what to think of that last part, but none the less he replied, "I dunno. I just sort of stumbled across it," he paused to sit down in a chair not too far from the window, "I was passing through the forest, and all of a sudden I saw this crazy looking tower jutting up out in the distance, so I decided to check it out. Then I saw you at the window and, well..." he paused to laugh, "here I am. With a major headache, by the way," he gave her a sideways glance.

Rapunzel sat down across from him, "Oh, I'm sorry about that...you just scared me," her tone was remorseful. She ran her fingers through her hair as she spoke, "I've never...well," she paused, "you're the only person whose ever been up here besides my mother."

Again, Jack was thrown off, and he leaned forward in his chair. He'd never heard a thing like that before. He just couldn't get his mind wrapped around the idea of a young girl like her staying up in a tower alone all the time.

"Can I ask you a question now?"

"Okay."

Jack paused for a moment, trying to figure out what exactly to say, "Why do you live all the way out here? In the middle of nowhere?" he pointed his thumb at the window, "the kingdom of Corona is way over _there_, and you're way over _here_."

Rapunzel chewed at her bottom lip, and didn't make eye contact with him.

"Mother says it's to protect me," Rapunzel finally met Jack's icy gaze with her own, "it's dangerous outside. There's ruffians, and thieves, and thugs!" her words sounded rehearsed, like they'd been imprinted on the insides of her eye lids, "and poison ivy, wolves, bears. And quick sand and lions," she shuddered and paused to take a breath, "why would I want to go out into a dangerous place like that, when I have my tower?" it sounded almost as if she were trying to convince herself of that.

"Um, you're a few continents off there, Rapunzel," Jack corrected her, wondering why her mother would tell her something like that, "you don't get quicksand here. Or lions. Lions are kind of exclusive to Africa. Believe me, I know."

Rapunzel's green eyes practically doubled in size at Jack's words, "you've been to Africa before?" she grinned excitedly, "wow! What's it like?"

"Um, it's hot. Really hot," Jack shuddered at the thought, "I've only ever been there once. But yeah, I saw lions. They're really big up close. And their teeth? Super sharp," he used his fingers to pantomime a pair of fangs at his mouth.

"Wow," Rapunzel laughed, sounding completely enchanted. She sighed, and the tone of her voice lost the light of it, "that's incredible. I wish I could go to Africa someday," she paused, suddenly looking down, "I don't think that will ever happen, though."

"And how do you know that?" Jack scoffed, "you've got your whole life ahead of you. Hey, maybe I could take you sometime. I can fly, after all."

The smile on Rapunzel's face was sad, "thanks...but I don't think my mother would let me."

Even though Jack had yet to meet the woman, he came to the conclusion that he didn't like Rapunzel's mother. From what little he had heard, he could tell that she was a liar, and that she was filling Rapunzel's head with false information. From what he could tell, the woman was trying to scare her. Why, he didn't know.

He opened his mouth to ask, but stopped himself. Even if he hadn't had any social interaction in years, Jack knew better than to question her about something like that when they'd barely known each other for an hour.

"So..." he sighed, deciding that it was a good idea to change the subject, "what do you think of the snow?"

Rapunzel instantly perked up at the mention of the winter gift, "it's beautiful!" she exclaimed, her smile wide, "until now, I'd never seen snow before. I'd only read about it in my books," she giggled, "it's amazing to actually see it in person."

"I'm glad you think so," Jack replied. He loved it when people were actually happy about the winter flurries he'd worked so hard to create. He looked at himself as an artist. Instead of paints and brushes, he used the ice and frost to create beautiful filigrees of frozen vines and ice-crystal flowers. The world was his canvas. Even if he wouldn't admit it out loud, it always hurt just the slightest bit when he overheard the humans complain about the masterpieces he'd created.

Jack exhaled loudly, suddenly feeling downhearted. Until now, he had been alone. Unnoticed. Forgotten. The moon told him one thing, and one thing only that fateful evening he'd risen from the ice; his name. And that was it.

Until he'd stumbled upon the tower, and the peculiar girl who lived in it, Jack was practically a ghost. Wandering the world without any real purpose, begging for the answer to one question; why was he here? People had walked right through him without even knowing his presence for years, and he felt it each time. He could feel the warmth pass right through him, teasing him. Reminding him of the massive fear he had deep down inside of his stomach that no one would ever know that he existed.

"Jack?" Rapunzel's voice was soft but filled with concern, "Jack, are you okay?"

He slowly looked up from his bare feet to meet a pair of sparkling moss green eyes. He smiled warily at her, "I'm sorry. I was just thinking."

Rapunzel nodded, "Oh. That's fine…you just went silent all of a sudden. I was worried."

Jack opened his mouth to say something, but paused, not sure what exactly he wanted to say in the first place. He swallowed, "Rapunzel, I have one more question for you."

"Yes?"

"How…can you see me?" the words slipped through his mouth easier than he had been expecting, "It's a long story, but…when I woke up as Jack Frost, no one could see me…or, or hear me…or," he paused and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, "people walked right through me."

Rapunzel cocked her head to the side, eyebrows raised as if what he was saying didn't make any sense, "I don't understand."

"No one can see me, besides you," he said, not fully understanding things himself, "I'm glad you can see me, but…" he chuckled nervously, "I wish I knew why."

Rapunzel opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off by a sing-song voice coming from just outside the tower.

"_Rapunzel_! Let down your _hair-air_!"

**((And… cliffhanger! Sort of. This chapter was getting kind of long so I decided to stop it here. I just want to thank all of the lovely people who have reviewed, favorite, and followed this story. We're only on chapter 3 and I'm sooo thankful for all of the support!**

**The song that this chapter is named after is Ordinary Day by Vanessa Carlton.**

**I love you all, and I'll see you again next week!**

**~Brandy))**


	4. Chapter 4 - Hot Mess

**Don't You Ever Forget About Me**

_Chapter 4_

Hot Mess

"Oh my gosh!" Rapunzel sputtered, hopping up out of her chair. She grabbed Jack by his icy hands and pulled him to his feet, a slight protest sounding from the winter spirit, "You have to hide! My mother is outside. She _cannot _know that you're here!"

"Uh, Rapunzel, I don't think-" Jack was unable to finish his sentence, as he was cut off by Rapunzel yanking him towards a wardrobe on the other side of the room.

She pulled open the doors and pointed at the wooden interior, "Get inside! _Now_. If my mother sees you, she'll-"

This time Jack cut her off, holding up one of his fingers to her face, quieting her. The blonde let out an exasperated sigh, "Rapunzel, it doesn't matter! She won't be able to see me anyway-"

"_Rapunzel_! I'm not getting any younger down here!" Again, the earsplitting sing-song voice pierced the air. It vaguely reminded Jack of nails on a chalkboard.

"Please?" Rapunzel pleaded, her voice getting squeaky. She squeezed Jack's hand, and her warmth seized him.

Sighing, Jack finally gave in, "fine," he rolled his eyes at the girl, who wore a triumphant smile. Even though he was certain that her mother wouldn't be able to see him, he decided to humor her. That little bit of warmth she had passed on to him had been enough to change his mind.

First moving aside a few hanging garments, Jack stepped inside the wardrobe and crossed his arms. He looked (and felt) like an unruly child sentenced to a time out. Rapunzel offered him a small, apologetic smile, "sorry."

Jack opened his mouth to assure her that things were fine (despite how annoyed he was), but for the second time he was cut off by that same grating voice.

"_Rapunzel!_" This time the voice cut through the air with an even sharper edge.

"Coming, mother!" Rapunzel called, feigning normalcy. She shot Jack another apologetic glance before closing the doors, leaving them cracked open just wide enough for Jack to see what was going on.

Practically sprinting, Rapunzel rushed over to the window, nearly tripping over her own hair. Jack watched as she tossed a length of it out the window and hooked it on to something. After a few moments Rapunzel began to tug on the hair that she had let down, and Jack was completely speechless when he realized what exactly she was doing. She was using her own hair to carry her mother up to the window, almost like someone drawing a bucket of water out of a well. He'd never seen anything like it before, and it astounded him.

A woman stepped into the tower, her face shrouded by a hood that was the color of wine. She was tall, and her figure followed the elegant curve of an hourglass.

"Hello, mother!" Rapunzel greeted the woman blissfully, throwing her arms around her in a loving hug. The woman pulled her hood down and wrapped her arms around the blonde-headed girl at her hip. She chuckled softly.

"Ah, Rapunzel..." the woman stroked her hair, a gesture that most would see as loving, but there was something... off about it. As if that love was directed more at the cascade of golden silk rather than the girl who owned it, "I'm glad to be home. But I would have been up here sooner if you had been faster with letting your hair down," even though she was smiling, her tone was tinged with just enough displeasure for it to be noticeable.

Rapunzel pulled away from the hug and began to twiddle her thumbs nervously, "I'm sorry, mother..." she paused, "I, um, got distracted."

The woman rolled her eyes and a small smirk graced her features, "that doesn't surprise me," she paused and sniffed at the air, "is something burning?"

"Oh no, the cookies!" Rapunzel exclaimed, rushing towards the kitchen and out of Jack's limited view. With the blonde out of the picture, he took a moment to study her mother, noting her mass of curly dark hair and striking features. She couldn't have been more than thirty years old, and she looked nothing at all like her daughter. Something about her made Jack feel uneasy. Rapunzel had to have been at least seventeen years old, so how could a woman so young have a daughter that age? Seeing her mother made the odd circumstances he had stumbled upon seem even stranger.

Jack watched as she looked over her reflection in the mirror, smiling proudly at what she saw, "baking again, my dear?" she questioned indifferently.

"Yup!" Rapunzel called from the kitchen enthusiastically, "but I ruined this batch," her voice fell.

"Now how on earth did you manage to do that?" the woman chuckled, running her fingers through her raven-colored hair.

"I...I guess I forgot!" Rapunzel replied, tone hardly convincing.

Her mother stepped away from mirror and started towards the kitchen, also leaving Jack's vision. He let out an irritated grunt. Like he was just gonna hang out in some closet all night. He wanted to be a part of the action. Or, well, at least _see _the action.

Even though he knew that his new friend wouldn't be too happy about it, Jack opened the wardrobe, careful not to make too much noise as he stepped out of it. He had a very strong gut feeling that the woman wouldn't be able to see him, and he felt no fear as he approached the kitchen. Rapunzel sat at a small table, idly running her fingers through her hair as her mother chopped vegetables, humming to herself. Jack propped himself up against a wall and crossed one foot over the other. He had no intention of interfering; he just wanted to watch.

"So...what did you do today, Rapunzel?" her mother asked as she cut into a carrot, tone mildly curious.

"Me?" she replied, trying her best to sound casual, "well, I..." her fingers got tangled in her hair, and she tried her best to unknot them without drawing attention to herself, "I painted, I read, I baked, I sewed, I cleaned..." she paused, "same thing I do every day."

Her mother dumped the chopped vegetables into a pot on the stove, "that's nice, dear," she replied, obvious that she hadn't really been listening in the first place.

Rapunzel let out a sigh of relief and finally managed to untangle her fingers from her hair, resting her head on her now free hands. She had almost started finally let herself relax when she noticed Jack, who offered her his trademark half-smile and waved a hand at her upon noticing her gaze on him.

Green eyes wide and nostrils flared, Rapunzel unintentionally smacked her hands down on the table. Her eyes darted back and forth between Jack and her mother, who thankfully was preoccupied with whatever boiled in the pot in front of her, unaware of the teenage boy standing in the room with them.

"Jack!" she whispered with force, "what are you doing out here?"

Shrugging, Jack replied, "I couldn't see you guys from the closet, so I left," He made no attempt at quieting his voice, and Rapunzel looked like she wanted to jump at him.

"Shhhhhh!" she chided, unintentionally attracting the attention of her mother.

"Did you say something, love?" the woman eyed the blonde headed girl from over her shoulder.

"N-nothing, mother," Rapunzel replied just a little too quickly and snappily. The woman raised an eyebrow at her, but still returned her attention to her cooking. After making sure that the coast was (somewhat) clear, Rapunzel turned back to Jack, who still stood against the wall with a bemused look on his face.

"So what's for dinner?" he questioned, tone even with just a hint of slight sarcasm.

"Please whisper," Rapunzel scolded him, keeping her voice low, "I don't want her to hear you!"

Jack rolled his eyes, "whatever, Blondie," the girl narrowed her eyes at the nickname. Jack knew for sure that the woman wouldn't be able to hear or see him, but it was obvious that Rapunzel still wasn't convinced. Despite his immature wanting to prove her wrong, he complied with her request to quiet down.

Throughout dinner, Jack remained at his place against the wall, staying silent as he had agreed. Rapunzel continued to look back and forth from him to her mother, who sat with her back facing him, completely oblivious to his presence. He quietly listened to their idle chit chat about the weather he'd created, and he reveled in how Rapunzel would suddenly light up at the mention of the snow.

"Well, then," Rapunzel's mother dropped her spoon next to the now empty bowl in front of her, "that was a very nice meal. I'm glad that I got to spend a bit of time with you, Rapunzel."

"Me too, mother. I missed you today," Jack could tell from the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice that Rapunzel loved the woman dearly, though he wasn't sure if her mother returned those same feelings, even if she tried to pass it off like she did. But at the same time, what right did he have to think that?

"I missed you more," her mother chuckled, reaching for Rapunzel's hand.

When their hands met, a smile pulled up on Rapunzel's lips, "I missed you most."

Jack shuddered. He could practically taste the sugary, syrupy mush of the moment in his mouth.

Her mother suddenly stood up, and Rapunzel's eyes widened with panic. She shot a fleeting glance at Jack, who didn't move so as an inch, "I'm very tired from today," she started, a yawn interrupting her sentence, proving her point, "I'm going to head off to bed after we clean up."

"O-okay!" Rapunzel agreed, sounding just a little too enthusiastic.

Her mother nodded and began to clear the table, and when she walked away Rapunzel took the opportunity to run over to Jack and shove him towards the living area without so much as a warning.

"What the hell are you doing?" he protested, not bothering to lower his voice. He stood his ground the best he could, refusing to move from his spot at the wall.

"Be quiet!" Rapunzel hissed as she pushed his shoulders, "Please get back into the closet! _Please_."

"But-"

"Jack, I can't risk her seeing you! Please, just _please_ get back into the closet. You can come out after she goes to bed. I promise."

Jack started to throw a snarky remark back at her until he noticed something in Rapunzel's voice, and drew the words back in. Fear. She was genuinely scared. He turned to look at her, and her green eyes were full of that fear you'd expect to find in the eyes of a too-young doe looking down the barrel of a hunter's musket.

"Fine. Okay," Jack sighed, finally giving in. He didn't like the look on her face, and he sought to change it, even if it meant doing something he detested.

Rapunzel started to gift him with a grateful smile and began to say thank you, but she was cut off by her mother, "You can't possibly expect me to clean this mess up by myself, Rapunzel," though her tone was light, there was still just a hint of acid in her words.

"Oh, coming, mother!" she scurried away from Jack, managing to give him the smile he had earned before meeting her mother at the wash basin. He smiled back at her before finally retreating back into the closet, carefully closing the doors behind him without making any noise.

Yeah, he definitely didn't like Rapunzel's mother. Even if the blonde-headed girl herself didn't sense anything, Jack could tell that there was something way off about her. It felt almost as if she was just playing the part of a loving mother, rather than actually being one. He'd seen enough mothers with their children to know what was normal and what wasn't, and what was going on here definitely wasn't normal.

Jack was lost in his own thoughts when Rapunzel and her mother were finished with their cleaning, but he was abruptly brought back to reality by Rapunzel's frantic words.

"Mother, I can put your cloak away for you," she was trying her best to sound nonchalant, but there was obvious panic in her voice.

"Honestly, Rapunzel," a frustrated sigh sounded from her mother, "I can put it away myself."

"No, no, no," she insisted with a nervous laugh, "You're tired. I can-"

"Rapunzel!" her mother snapped, raising her voice. Even though Jack couldn't see what was going on, he could tell that the sudden outburst had made Rapunzel shrink back do to the tense silence that fell after the mini explosion.

"You act as if you're hiding something in there," her mother finally spoke, tone dry with just a hint of suspicion.

"Wha...what, no!" Rapunzel fumbled with her response, "Of-of course not. What would make you think that?"

"Well, then. If you don't mind, I'll be hanging up my cloak and turning in for the evening."

The closet doors suddenly opened and light poured into the small wooden space. Rapunzel and her mother stood about a foot away from Jack, their shadows falling over his face. Rather than hanging up her cloak, her mother just stood there, staring into the small enclosure, and for a second Jack thought that maybe, _just maybe_, she could see him.

"Mother, I can explain-" Rapunzel started, voice trembling with fear.

"Explain what? Ah-" she reached right through Jack's head in order to grab a hanger, and Rapunzel's mouth fell open in shock. Jack let out a sigh of relief. For once in his life, he was glad that someone couldn't see him.

Her mother removed her cloak and draped it over the hanger, hanging it right next to Jack, who remained perfectly still. Rapunzel looked back and forth between the two of them, trying desperately to understand what was going on.

"Well, then," her mother started, reaching for Rapunzel and pulling her into her arms. The blonde was still in shock, and didn't bother to return the gesture, "I'm heading off to bed, my dear. Good night."

"Good night," Rapunzel replied, mind somewhere else. Her mother didn't seem to notice, heading off after tossing a quick I love you into the air.

When both teens were sure that the woman was gone, they turned to look at each other, Rapunzel wearing a look of utter confusion on her face. Jack smirked proudly and waltzed out of the closet, staff over his shoulder, "Told you so."

**((I am sooooooo sorry about this being late, you guys. Really I am. I had some really bad writer's block while writing this chapter, and I'm well aware that it's not my best. Oh well. **

**Anyway, I've decided to again change my update schedule. Instead of posting a new chapter on Thursdays, I'll be posting on Sundays, as it fits my schedule better.**

**Thank you all so much for all of your lovely reviews, favorites, and follows :3 you're all amazing!**

**Song that I got the title from is Hot Mess by Cobra Starship. Just so you guys know, a lot of these chapters titles are going to be random. I have a Jackunzel playlist that I listen to while I'm writing, so a lot of them come from what I'm listening to at the moment.**

**~Brandy))**


	5. Chapter 5 - Believed In

**Don't You Ever Forget About Me**

Chapter 5

_Believed In_

"I-I don't understand," Rapunzel breathed, watching Jack as he walked back towards the chair he had been lounging on earlier. Instead of sitting down like she had expected him to, he pointed his staff up towards the rafters and the wind carried him upwards, strands of gold dancing in the gentle breeze.

The winter spirit sat atop the highest of the rafters, crouched down like a gargoyle. He watched Rapunzel closely from above, cocking his head to the side. Her once kissed-peached complexion had been drained of most of its color, and she stared up at him as if she were looking at a ghost. He could tell from the expression in her moss-green eyes that she must have thought that she had completely lost it.

"To be honest with you," Jack started, repositioning himself so that he was leaning up against one the beam behind him, leg dangling freely in the open air, "I don't really understand it, either."

Rapunzel had stayed silent for a few minutes, chewing at her bottom lip. Jack was kind of taken aback blurted, "how come my mother can't see you? Or-or touch you?" she was speaking so fast and so excitedly that he could barely understand what she was saying, "I mean, _I_ can see you! And hear you, and, and..." she paused and let out an frustrated sigh, her arms falling to her sides, "I just don't get it," she stopped, and her already paled face went a few shades lighter, "are...are you a ghost?"

Cringing at the term, Jack spat, "What? No way!" even if he himself didn't know for sure what he was, he refused to be referred to as something as pitiful as a ghost, "look," he sighed, "I don't understand what's up with this, either. I already told you that."

Rapunzel seemed to become more at ease after being reassured that her new friend was not, in fact, an apparition. Her shoulders relaxed and she glanced back up at him, her gaze meeting with his. They stayed like that for a few moments, their eyes locked on one another in what felt like a silent trance.

Rapunzel was beautiful, Jack finally admitted to himself, admiring her from his perch. From her delicate facial features to her feminine curves down to the river of blonde that trailed behind her. She was stunning. Jack shook his head, chuckling to himself when he realized that his eyes were wandering.

"You know," Jack spoke, his voice piercing the still in the air, "I really wonder how exactly you can see me. Or hear me. Or," he paused, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand, "or touch me. I mean, I know that this doesn't make much sense, but..." his lips curled into a smile. An honest one; not the kind of smile that he got from playing tricks or throwing snowballs at unsuspecting victims. It was just a smile. Content.

"I'm happy that you can," he finally finished.

The expression on Rapunzel's face was unreadable, and for a moment Jack had thought he had said the wrong thing. But just when he was about to take back his words and apologize, the girl standing below him did something unexpected.

Using her hair as sort of a lasso, Rapunzel swung a length of it up to the rafter Jack was perched on, wrapping it around the wooden beam. He watched in bewilderment as she began to scurry up towards him, using her own hair as a rope.

"Wow," Jack breathed, laughing softly. Rapunzel made it up to the rafter, pulling herself up so that she was sitting next to him, legs too dangling in the air.

"Neat trick," he mused, watching as the blonde unwrapped her hair from around the wooden beam. She smiled bashfully at him, "thanks. But it's really nothing special."

Jack begged to differ, but he kept his mouth shut, taking a moment to look over the paintings that covered nearly every square inch of the ceiling, "so that's how you got up here to make these," he gestured at her artwork.

"Yeah...I have a lot of time on my hands."

Laughing, Jack replied, "So I've noticed."

The smile on Rapunzel's face remained, but it fell just slightly, her tone turning serious again, "how come my mother can't see you?"

"How come _you_ _can_ see me?" Jack retorted, smirking. Rapunzel stared at him blankly, and he sighed, "look, I'm just as confused as you are. But your mother not being able to see me isn't really anything weird, as far as I'm concerned. At least not for me."

"Wha- of course it's weird!" Rapunzel sputtered with a strained laugh.

"No," Jack stopped her, "what's weird is that _you_ _can_ see me. You're the weird one, Blondie."

It took Jack a lot of self-control not to laugh at the look on her face. She glared at him, "do not call me Blondie. And _I'm_ not weird. At least I don't think I am."

"Okay, you're not weird," Jack agreed, holding up an index finger, "but, what is weird is that you can see me. No one else has ever been able to see me."

A look of utter confusion over took Rapunzel's face for what seemed like the hundredth time that evening, "what do you mean by that?"

"I..." Jack halted, trying to find the right words to explain to her what he meant and what he had gone through, "okay. Look. I'm a winter spirit, right?" he watched as the girl nodded, following along, "well, the thing is, _no one_ can see me. Or hear me," it hurt just to say it, and his voice faltered, "usually... people just walk right through me. Like... Like I don't even exist. But you," his ice crystal eyes met her earth green orbs, "you can see me. _You know I exist_."

The girl still looked like she didn't fully understand what was going on, but none the less, she said after a bit of thought, "I...I think I'm starting to get it."

Jack let out a relieved sigh.

"But I'm still confused."

A laugh bubbled out of Jack's lips at that statement, "so am I, Rapunzel," he gave her a wary smile, "but...I kind of don't want to question it, you know? I... I'm just so happy that you can see me... " he swallowed, "I've gone a long_, long_ time by myself," Jack drew his knees in towards his chest. He felt more and more vulnerable with every word that he spoke, and out of defense he was closing in on himself, using his legs as if they were a shield, "for almost one hundred years now, I've been all alone. I know we just met...but..." he trailed off.

Rapunzel stared at him intently, waiting for him to continue.

"I'm just really happy," he finished with a weak laugh. The winter spirit couldn't even begin to find the words to describe the euphoria brewing within him.

"You don't look like you're one hundred years old," Rapunzel pointed out. The tense that had settled over them suddenly dissipated.

Jack smirked at her, feeling like himself again, "yeah, I don't look have bad for a centenarian, do I?"

The remark pretty much blew over Rapunzel's head, "but how can you be one hundred? I mean, you look like you're my age, and I'm only seventeen!"

Jack let his legs slip away from his chest so that both of them were dangling in the air again, dropping his guard, "I guess you could say that I'm kind of a...whatchamacallit," he trailed of, trying to find the right term. He snapped his fingers in realization, "immortal! I don't age. When I woke up I was seventeen, and I've stayed that way ever since."

Blinking, Rapunzel replied, "when you..._woke up_? What do you mean by that?"

"Well," Jack leaned up against the wooden support behind him, relaxing his head against his arms, "I _woke up_," he wasn't quite sure how to explain his peculiar rising to her, as he didn't quite understand what had happened that day himself, even after having a century to ponder it, "I remember it being dark, and _cold_...and I was scared. I was floating in pitch black, " just thinking about being suspended in that suffocating darkness again made it hard for the winter spirit to breathe, "and then I saw the moon. I kind of, well, came up out of a frozen-over lake, and...floated up into the air towards the moon. And I wasn't scared anymore," his tone was serene as he spoke, and he took a moment to glance over at Rapunzel who was listening, fascinated.

"The moon seemed to chase all of the darkness away," Jack waved his staff, as if he were wiping away the sludge of dank emotions that had been dripping off of him when he woke up, "the moon chased away all of the fear, and that horrible blackness. And then I came back down on to the lake, and found this," he held his staff out. To that day he still didn't understand why he had been drawn to the branch of wood and why he was so attached to it. He tightened his grip, "and after that, I discovered my powers. I could make it snow, and freeze stuff, and fly, and-" he stopped his enthusiastic rambling to breathe. Rapunzel giggled.

"Anyway, I flew over to a nearby village," his once excited tone deflated, and he sighed a quiet, sad sigh, "man, I was so thrilled. I tried to tell them about my powers, but… they couldn't hear me. At first I thought that maybe I just wasn't speaking loud enough, but then..." he let out a shaky breath of air, "then they walked right through me. Like I was invisible. Again, and again, and again…" Jack was being hit with a tidal wave of emotions as he spoke, and it took all of the strength in his frozen heart not to just break down and cry. Everything that had happened over those lonely one hundred years was running through his memory all at once, and he was terribly overwhelmed.

"…That's when the moon finally said something: _Jack Frost_," his tone was completely void of emotion,, "my name. He told me my name, and that was it. He hasn't said anything to me since."

Rapunzel didn't speak a word, but Jack could tell from the look on her face that his story had definitely had an impact her. She looked concerned. Concerned about him.

"I'm sorry, Jack," she whispered.

The winter spirit shrugged and put on a smile. Even if it was weak, it was there, "hey, you don't need to be sorry. You didn't do anything."

"I just feel...really, really awful about what you had to go through. Being alone for so long," her voice was quiet, but Jack could tell that there was more in her tone than just sympathy for the loneliness that he had lived through, "I wish I could have been there for you," her eyes met with his.

The weak smile on Jack's face grew stronger at her words. For once he felt like he mattered, and he didn't want the feeling to go away. Tentatively, he reached for her hand, pulling it into a gentle embrace. The warmth of her skin nearly melted him, and he sighed, "like I said, I'm so glad that you can see me."

"I'm glad too," to Jack's relief, she didn't pull away, instead giving his icy hand the gift of a gentle squeeze. She didn't even mention the chill of his skin, or flinch away because of it. He found it kind of strange, but he didn't dare to bring it to her attention.

"I'm usually all by myself, so it's nice to have someone to talk to," Rapunzel offered him a small smile, "even if I was a little scared of you at first."

"Scared of _me_?" Jack raised an eyebrow at her playfully, "now what would make you scared of me?"

Rapunzel crossed her arms, and Jack couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that she had let go of his hand, "you just randomly showed up in my tower and snuck up on me. No one else has ever been up here besides my mother and I."

Jack cocked his head to the side. He still wasn't quite sure what exactly she meant by that. The concept seemed really odd to him.

"But I'm still glad that you're here," Rapunzel said in a rush, thinking that she had somehow offended the boy across from her, "it's nice to have someone to talk to besides myself when my mother isn't here... And the snow is beautiful."

Laughing softly, Jack replied, "I'm glad you think so," he pulled his hand out from his pocket, the temperature of his already icy fingers dropping as he conjured a single intricately laced snowflake. Rapunzel watched with enlarged eyes, mesmerized at his craft, "think fast," he blew the ice crystal masterpiece at her, the flake landing on her nose and exploding into little blue sparkles. A giggle bubbled out from between her lips, and a grin took over her face.

"That's amazing!" she exclaimed, rubbing at the spot of her nose where the flake had melted, "that's the first time I've ever seen a snow flake up close before. A real one, I mean. I've seen plenty of pictures in my books, but the real thing is so much more special."

Jack matched her smile with one of his own lop-sides ones, "oh, I can change that," he reached for her hand again, and before Rapunzel even knew what was happening, a breeze picked up and they were sailing towards the floor like feathers. He hurriedly led her towards the window, "come on, let's go and play in the snow together! We can have a snowball fight, and make snow angels-"

"Jack, I really can't," Rapunzel cut him off. The winter spirit shook his head.

"Aw, come on!" his tone resembled that of a little boy, "let's have some fun," in one swift motion he hopped on to the window sill, but Rapunzel's feet stayed firmly planted on the floor of her tower.

"I mean it," she wouldn't let her gaze meet Jack's, and her voice was low and shaky, almost scared, "I really can't go with you."

Jack blinked in disbelief, and let out a small, half-hearted laugh, "aw...why not, Rapunzel? It'll be fun, I promise!"

"It's not that I don't want to-"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Jack tugged at her hand like an impatient child, "let's go-"

Suddenly Rapunzel pulled her hand out of his grip, blurting, "I'm not allowed to go outside!"

All Jack could do was stare at her. He was prepared for nearly every excuse, accept for that one. She nervously ran her fingers through her hair, her eyes glued to the floor.

Jack lifted his feet out from under him and plopped down onto the sill so that he was sitting, the wind keeping him from hurting himself. He was completely thrown off by what his friend had said to him, and he tried his best to make sense of it, "Um, so you can't go outside?" the question was directed more at his own thoughts than Rapunzel, "it's because it's already dark out, huh?" his friend opened her mouth to explain, but he continued, smiling, "okay. I can deal with that. How about tomorrow when it's light outside, then?"

With a feather-light sigh, Rapunzel repeated, "Jack...I-I can't."

Now the winter spirit was getting a bit irritated. He rolled his eyes. Maybe she was just making excuses because she didn't want to be with him. Fine. That wasn't a big deal to him. What did he care?

"If you don't want to hang around with me, all you have to do is say so", he grumbled bitterly, looking away from the girl with the golden hair. He tried his best not to sound as hurt as he actually felt.

"Jack, it's not that," Rapunzel said quickly, trying her best to undo the unintentional damage she had caused, "I _want_ to go outside with you. I really, really do. But I can't."

Jack raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, still not entirely convinced, "and why not?" his tone ended up sounding more bratty than he had intended.

Rapunzel let out another sigh, but this one was obviously exasperated. She was getting tired of having to repeat herself, "because _I'm not allowed to go outside_," she emphasized the six words.

"Not ever?" Jack asked, genuinely confused, though it came out tinged with sarcasm. Now he was starting to get worried. Did she mean what he thought she meant?

Rapunzel's answer was just barely audible to Jack, "not ever," when the words hit the air is was as if they sucked the life out of the it. They hung in the still for a moment, ringing loudly in Jack's ears. _Not Ever_. The golden haired girl sighed heavily and turned away from her new friend, retreating towards the fireplace on the other end of the room, her hair trailing behind her like a shadow.

Jack was in disbelief. Not allowed to leave. _Period_. An entirely new slew of questions flooded Jack's mind, gnawing at him. When was the last time that Rapunzel had even been outside? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? Or even worse, had she ever left her tower? Was the stone structure a prison?

Careful not to startle the girl, Jack quietly padded over to her and placed a friendly hand on her slumped shoulder. He was relieved when she didn't flinch away at his touch.

"Hey," he tried his best to sound reassuring, keeping his voice soft, "it's okay."

Rapunzel sniffed and turned her head so that she was facing him, "you're not mad at me?"

"No, I'm not mad. I'm just a little confused is all," he paused, debating on whether or not he should ask her one of his mind-biting questions, "why aren't you allowed to go outside?"

Rapunzel turned her gaze back down to the floor, "my mother won't let me. She says it's too dangerous for someone like me."

Jack stiffened. The conversation that they had had earlier that day suddenly made a lot more sense, and his disdain for her mother grew even stronger. The woman was beating her own daughter down with words like fists with pointed knuckles.

"Too dangerous for someone like you," Jack repeated to himself. He chuckled, "where exactly does she think you'll be going? The jungle?" A small smile hinted on Rapunzel's lips at that. He continued, "the clearing down below the tower isn't dangerous. Unless you're afraid of rabbits and dragonflies."

"My mother says that there's quicksand down at the base of the tower," Rapunzel stated plainly.

With a roll of his eyes, Jack retorted, "well, your mother was lying. Sure, there's a pond, but no quicksand. That stuff doesn't exist around here, remember?"

"But," Rapunzel stammered, "mother would never lie to me!"

Again, Jack rolled his eyes. It amazed him just how gullible the girl was, "well, she lied about that. But one thing that is true is that there is snow down there. Don't you want to play in the snow?"

The green in Rapunzel's eyes sparkled at the mention of snow, "yes, of course I do!"

"well, than why don't you ask her if you can go outside tomorrow to play in it?"

Rapunzel stayed silent for a few moments, mulling things over, "I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask."

Her answer came across as being slightly labored, but none the less, it gave Jack a feeling of joy, "Great!" he grinned. The winter spirit glanced at the window, and let out a shaky breath of air. It was getting late.

"I have to go…" he reluctantly admitted more to himself more than the girl by his side. The last thing he wanted to do was leave the tower and his new friend alone, but the wind was calling to him. He had other business to attend to.

Rapunzel's face noticeably fell, "you're leaving?" she questioned, sounding as if she thought that he would never come back. Devastated.

"Only for tonight," Jack quickly reassured her, "I'll be back tomorrow. I promise. I'm taking you out to play in the snow, remember?" his lips pulled into another honest smile.

Instead of saying something right away, Rapunzel did something unexpected. She wrapped her arms around Jack's arm and waist, pulling him in towards her. Her head rested against his chest and he gasped at the sudden warmth and butterflies raging in his stomach.

"Goodbye," she whispered, pulling away just as quickly as she had grabbed him. Jack just stood there, stunned.

"Yeah…" he nodded in a daze at the sudden contact, "goodbye."

**((It's late. I'm a bad person and I should feel bad.**

**Well… at least it's 1,000 words longer than usual, right? Right. My schedule the week before last was really strange so I ended up writing the bulk of this last week. I feel awful about skipping a week, but there really wasn't much I could do besides freak out about it.**

**Chapter title from the amazing fan song 'Believed In' by Lily Sevin. I'm going to compile a list of all of the chapter title songs on my profile ASAP. Also, my friend and I made a collab channel on YouTube specifically for our Jackunzel videos! :D Link on my profile. Please give it a look.**

**Thank you all so much for all of the reviews, follows, and favorites! It makes me feel so great that you guys are enjoying this as much as I am. I try to reply to all of the reviews, so don't be afraid to add one!**

**~Brandy))**


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